1. Field
This disclosure is generally related to an information firewall. More specifically, this disclosure is related to using contextual information to protect data from being accessed by unintended recipients.
2. Related Art
Malicious users typically steal sensitive data by breaking into computer systems, either online or locally, which gives them access to the sensitive information on these systems. For example, a malicious user may impersonate a legitimate user by stealing his credentials, and may use these credentials to gain access to the user's computer. Other malicious users may snoop on a secured wireless network over an extended period of time to crack the network's wireless access key. Once the access key has been cracked, the malicious user can gain access to devices within the wireless network, such as network-attached storage devices.
Unfortunately, once a malicious user breaks into a computer or storage device, the user typically has full access to all data on the hacked device. To safeguard sensitive data against a break-in, some users employ an additional level of security by encrypting files that are deemed to be sensitive, such as financial documents and account information. Doing so prevents a user from accessing the plaintext data if the user does not provide the necessary password for decrypting the file. However, encrypting individual files to safeguard data is not a popular solution because it requires the user to enter the password each time the user desires to open an encrypted file.